


Keeping You Close

by Emeryuu



Series: My Home Is With You (Pynch Week 2016) [3]
Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Adam at university, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-08-15
Packaged: 2018-08-09 00:49:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7780411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emeryuu/pseuds/Emeryuu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It wasn’t even that Ronan smelled in a specific way; Adam couldn’t exactly point what Ronan smelled like. He saw this many times with books; a character describing their love interest’s smell. It always was something elaborate; like pine wood or oranges and jasmine or roses. With Ronan, Adam wasn’t able to say. His smell was just so like Ronan - mysterious, complicated, wild. Sometimes he smelled like Barns, sometimes like the soap and cologne he used, other times like Cabeswater. But no matter what, Adam always, always recognized that smell as safe, as home.</p><p> * * *<br/>Pynch Week 2016, day three: Caught</p>
            </blockquote>





	Keeping You Close

**Author's Note:**

> So, day three of Pynch Week. I'm a bit late but it's still before midnight where i am, so whatever :D
> 
> This piece is unbeta-ed, so forgive me mistakes (or point them so i can fix them).
> 
> Enjoy ;)

If few months ago someone had told Adam Parrish that one day the thing that made him feel safe and comfortable was the smell of Ronan Lynch, he’d respond with doubt about mental state of said person. Now, after months of, at first, circling around each other and later dating, smell of Ronan became the most familiar thing to Adam. 

It wasn’t even that Ronan smelled in a specific way; Adam couldn’t exactly point what Ronan smelled like. He saw this many times with books; a character describing their love interest’s smell. It always was something elaborate; like pine wood or oranges and jasmine or roses. With Ronan, Adam wasn’t able to say. His smell was just so  _ like Ronan _ \- mysterious, complicated, wild. Sometimes he smelled like Barns, sometimes like the soap and cologne he used, other times like Cabeswater. But no matter what, Adam always, always recognized that smell as safe, as home.

Adam didn’t think about how Ronan’s smell made him feel until the date of his departure for university loomed near. He knew it was coming and was preparing for this for weeks. Now, when everything was ready and only thing left was to pack his luggage into car Ronan dreamed for him and leave Henrietta only to come back for Thanksgiving, he realized that leaving meant not being able to have Ronan around.

He wanted to kick himself for being so stupid. He knew it was coming, he wanted to leave. And Ronan wanted to stay. He wanted to stay and wait for Adam to come back home. Because Barns was his home now; his, Ronan’s and Opal’s. That was the reason why Ronan dreamed a car for Adam; he said he wanted to make sure Adam will be able to actually drive home safely without his battered Hondayota crashing down in the middle of road.

There was no question if Adam wouldn’t come back. He’d do this even if he had to walk the whole way. But thinking about being separated from Ronan made him uncomfortable.

He turned around, checking if he packed everything, but the thought of parting with Ronan wouldn’t leave his mind. And then his sight fell on a Ronan’s muscle short laying forgotten on the floor. Without thinking he grabbed it and another of his sweatshirts and put it into his bag.

 

* * *

 

Sleeping into Ronan’s clothes made Adam feel better. He was doing great at university; his roommate was easy to live with and Adam quickly made friends with him and few other people from his major. Classes were interesting so far and even huge amount of work didn’t threw Adam off. Even though everything was going better than fine, suddenly finding himself alone in bed made Adam feel lonely.

Ronan corrupted me, he decided. Before him I never felt like this.

To calm himself and also feel like Ronan was next to him, Adam started wearing stolen sweatshirt to bed. It felt exceptionally nice if he was wearing it during calling Ronan. Adam could close his eyes and pretend  for a moment that they were there together.

Ronan didn’t notice his clothes disappearing. And if he did, he never mentioned it to Adam. Adam suspected it was the former; Ronan’s thing were always in mess. He was silently glad, he wasn’t sure how to explain why he took Ronan’s clothes with him.

 

* * *

 

By the Thanksgiving break both, the muscle shirt and the sweatshirt lost Ronan’s smell. Now they smelled more like the dorm Adam lived at and his own shower gel, there was nothing left of his dreamer on them. Adam comforted himself with a reminder that he’d soon see his boyfriend in person and won’t need a substitute.

At the back of his mind lurked a thought that he’d also be able to replace the clothes for new ones, but he tried to dismiss that, he didn’t want to be weird.

 

* * *

 

Gansey, Blue and Henry couldn’t visit them, so Adam spent Thanksgiving only with Ronan and Opal. Not that he complained, he loved their alone time. Opal would tell him everything about the days he spent with dreamed animals and recount stories about what she saw at farmers’ market she visited with Ronan. Ronan wouldn’t talk much, but when asked, he’d tell Adam how far he got with waking up the animals and how women at Fox Way 300 were doing. Maura visited barns regularly and often offered to take care of Opal.

Later, when Opal was asleep, Ronan and Adam would sit together in front of the fireplace, cuddling and kissing. Or they would retire to their bedroom and make the most of the opportunities that provided the queen sized bed.

When the time has come to pack and leave again, Adam unconsciously packed Ronan’s t-shirt between his own clothes. It was an old one, frayed a bit at the hem, with a skull on the front. Later, he received strange looks from his roommate when wearing it, but adam explained with a sheepish smile that it belonged to his boyfriend.

 

* * *

 

Christmas was the next time when Adam went home. This time, the three of them, Adam, Ronan and Opal, were invited to Blue’s house. Blue herself together with her companions were going to take a break from traveling and visit too. Gansey was supposed to go home too, but he found a way to persuade his mother to let him to spent Christmas in Henrietta. How Gansey achieved it Adam had no idea, but he also wasn’t surprised.

They ate too much and exchanged presents. Adam got a leather wallet from Gansey, handmade scarf from Blue and a novel from Henry;  _ The Elephant Vanishes _ by Haruki Murakami. Ronan gave him new watch, dreamed specially for him. His old one still had Opal.

They sang Christmas carols and ate even more. On the Boxing Day the snow fell and Adam watched with Ronan as Opal and Blue defeated Gansey and Henry in a snowball fight. He felt warm and happy.

Adam left soon after New Year, Blue, Gansey and Henry had drove away two days before. This time Adam almost wasn’t able to steal Ronan’s clothes, because Ronan wouldn’t leave him alone when he packed. Adam had to resort to diversion.

“Could you bring me my textbook? I think left it in the kitchen.” He looked at Ronan.

It was a lie, the textbook was tossed somewhere under the bed, where it had fell the previous night after Ronan successfully convinced Adam to pay attention to his boyfriend hands instead of economic theories.

Ronan, who was sitting comfortably on bed and petting Chainsaw,  settled the raven down, and left bedroom. Adam sighed in relief. Without waiting, he all but threw himself to Ronan’s closet. He grabbed three random shirts from the bottom of the drawer; it was the most unlikely that Ronan would reach there for clothes, he usually took the first thing he found. Then, praying that Ronan wouldn’t appear, he stuffed the clothes into his bag and covered it with his own sweater.

“Kerah!”

Adam turned around and only then noticed that Chainsaw was watching him all this time. The raven cocked its head to the side as if curious of what Adam was doing.

“Not a single word.” Adam was ready to beg. He had no doubts Chainsaw would be able to tell Ronan what it witnessed. “It’s not like I did something wrong.” He winced internally. If he didn’t do anything wrong then why was he hiding?

“Keraaaaah.” now the bird seemed amused and Adam wanted the floor to open under him and swallow him whole.

“Parrish, there’s not a single book of your in the kitchen. You sure you left it there?” Ronan chosen this moment to came back.

Adam turned his back to Chainsaw and looked at Ronan. He hoped his face expressed something even slightly similar to confusion.

“No? I was sure i brought it down earlier.” That was partially true, Adam planned to take it downstairs, but had changed his mind.

Ronan shook his head and went to sit on the bed. On his way he kissed Adam on the temple and muttered with fondness, “Get your shit together, Parrish.”

 

* * *

 

Spring break was the last time Adam would see Ronan before summer. It was also the last time he had to exchange his boyfriend’s clothes.

The day before he had to leave for the last time this year, Ronan drove Opal to Maura. While being alone at home, Adam decided to cook nice dinner, just for the two of them. It included candles and nice music, if he would find something suitable among the Lynches’ CDs collection.

When almost everything was ready and he waited for Ronan to come home, it occurred to Adam that it was great occasion to pack Ronan’s t-shirts unnoticed. He raced upstairs and did just that. He wanted to take something he usually took, but then he noticed shirt tucked in the back of the drawer. He pulled it out to take a closer look. It was cobalt blue and felt nice,it must’ve been really expensive.

Ronan wore it sometimes to church, Adam knew. It was risky to take it, but before he always wore Ronan’s t-shirts, muscle shirts and sweatshirts, never shirt like that. Against his better judgement, he packed it into his bag.

The shirt would be a bit too big on him, but he didn’t plan to wear it outside the dorm anyway.

 

* * *

 

Adam wasn’s supposed go home before the year’s end. So he didn’t expect that the person knocking on his door for the last ten minutes would be none other than Ronan Lynch. He opened the door ready to demand what the fuck was going on, he was working on his last assignment. But he could only stand there speechless and gawk at his boyfriend.

Ronan’s initial scowl melted into grin when he saw his boyfriend.

“Hey, Parrish. Missed me?”

“Yeah,” Adam admitted without thinking. He moved aside to let Ronan in.

Ronan took a step inside and gave Adam peck on the cheek. Without question he went straight for the bed that was Adam’s but how Ronan knew which of the two was that, Adam didn’t even dare to predict.

Adam himself was painfully aware of his own state. He was wearing a pair of jeans and the shirt he had stolen from Ronan. He hadn’t expected any guests so he just dressed himself comfortably to work on his homework.

“Wait, Parrish, is that my shirt?” Ronan raised his brow at Adam.

Any hope Adam had that Ronan wouldn’t notice vanished. He got caught in the most spectacular way possible. Of course of all the times Adam took Ronan’s clothes it would now, after almost a year of stealing.

“Ughh, yeah? I think I packed it by mistake.” He tried explain himself.

“Mistake, huh?” Ronan didn’t seem to believe him. “Weird. Because this past months I’d lose clothes only to have it back magically after weeks. I thought it was Opal messing with me, but now I’m starting to suspect you, Parrish.

Adam, suddenly feeling shy, couldn’t look up at Ronan. Instead, he lowered his gaze to the floor and played with the hem of the shirt.

“I… I didn’t want to be weird, okay?” He snapped nervously.

“Why would you be weird?” Now Ronan was confused. He stood up, took Adam’s hand and led them both to sit on the bed.

“I like your smell. It makes me feel safe and warm. Like home. So I just took your shirt when I was leaving the first time to have something to feel like you were closer. I thought maybe that way I wouldn’t miss you so much.” Adam was talking quietly, throwing glances at Ronan to gauge his reaction, but Ronan only listened silently. “And then it turned into a habit, I’d just pack a shirt or two of your and bring it with me. I was embarrassed to tell you, so i kept it in secret.”

For a moment they sat on Adam’s bed in silence. then , Ronan spoke:

“After you leave for uni, I sleep on your pillow. For a while it smells like you and it helps me fall asleep. But it always loses your smell after few weeks and I’m left just like that.” Ronan grabbed Adam’s chin and lifted it so he could look Adam in the eyes. “Why do you get something that last the whole time we are apart and I don’t? Not fair, you asshole.”

Adam laughed. Trust ronan to calm Adam in one sentence. He still didn’t know what he had done to be worthy of Ronan’s love, but he wasn’t letting him go ever.

“Should I leave you some of my sweatshirts next time? Maybe the one with uni’s emblem?” Adam grinned.

“Damn right you’ll leave at least two. And yeah, the uni one will be great. So I can show off how smart my boyfriend is.”

Ronan leaned forward and kissed Adam slowly. Adam could Ronan’s fingers moving under the hem of his shirt and settling on Adam’s hips.

“Now, I’d like to see how you look in my shirt only and nothing else.” Ronan whispered into Adam’s lips when they parted to catch a breath.

He pushed Adam down on the pillow and Adam complied to this ask happily. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading.
> 
> Kudos? Comments? The latter would be great ;)


End file.
